No-touch dispensers, i.e., dispensers that do not require the patron to touch any part of the dispenser, are desired for many reasons. No-touch dispensing reduces the chance of transferring disease-causing bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms. No-touch dispensing also makes the process of obtaining a sheet simpler and quicker.
Single-sheet dispensers, i.e., dispensers that dispense a consistent, fixed quantity of sheet material, are also desired for many reasons. They tend to reduce the quantity of sheet material used by an individual patron, thereby saving on material costs, disposal costs, and costs associated with the frequency whereby the dispensers must be refilled.
No-touch, single-sheet dispensers for folded, interleaved sheets are known, however the manufacturing processes associated with providing the folded, interleaved sheets are more expensive and complex than the process associated with providing roll products. No-touch, single-sheet dispensers utilizing knives or other cutting devices to cut sheet material from a roll of sheet material are known, but knives and other cutting devices may present a danger to either a patron or an individual refilling the dispenser. No-touch, single-sheet dispensers for rolled products via zones of weakness are known, but if the sheet material tears before the next zone of weakness emerges from the dispenser, the next patron has no sheet material to grasp.
No-touch, single-sheet dispensing of double rolled products via offset zones of weakness is known, but dispensers for these products still have disadvantages that have yet to be overcome. As an example, many of the prior art dispensers have the disadvantage that the force necessary to dispense the product can vary depending on the angle at which a user of the product pulls on the exposed product. If the applied force is too low, the zones of weakness may not separate, causing more than one sheet to be removed from the dispenser. If the applied force is too high, the zones of weakness may separate prematurely or the product may break at a location other than at the next successive zone of weakness. The features of the dispenser disclosed herein overcome these and other disadvantages of prior art dispensers.